The document discusses different types of forests found around the world, including tropical rainforests, tropical deciduous forests, thorn forests, mangrove forests, and coniferous forests. It provides details on the climate, vegetation, and geographic distribution of each forest type. It also discusses the importance of forests in providing habitat for biodiversity and notes some threats to forests from human activities.
Importance of Forests and Biodiversity Hotspots in India
1.
2. There are many definitions of a
forest, based on the various
criteria.[1] These plant
communities cover
approximately 9.4% of the
Earth's surface (or 30% of total
land area) in many different
regions and function as
habitats for
organisms, hydrologic f low
modulators, and soil
conservers, constituting one of
the most important aspects of
the Earth's biosphere.
3. ï It hosts three biodiversity hotspots:
the Western Ghats, the Eastern
Himalayas, and the hilly ranges that
straddle the India-Myanmar border.
ï India, for the most part, lies within
the Indomalaya ecozone, with the
upper reaches of the Himalayas
forming part of the Palearctic
ecozone; the contours of 2000 to
2500m are considered to be the
altitudinal boundary between the
Indo-Malayan and Palearctic zones.
India displays significant
biodiversity. One of eighteen
megadiverse countries, it is home to
7.6% of all mammalian, 12.6% of all
avian, 6.2%.
4. ï¶ It provide us medicinal plants.
ï¶ It protect us from global warming.
ï¶ It provides a better ecosystem.
ï¶ It provides habitat to various kinds of animals
5. ï¶ Medicinal plants (MP) are a
vital component of non-timber
forest products (NTFP) and
play a significant role in the
health care of rural people all
over the world. Collection of
MP is also making an important
contribution to poor peopleâs
livelihood, but in countries
with high population density,
like Bangladesh, the pressure
on natural forests is hard.
6. ï During the last year the
awareness about the
anthropogenic induced
climate change due to
increasing level of Green
House Gases (GHGs), like for
example carbon dioxide (CO2)
has increased drastically. The
atmospheric content of CO2
which is the GHG that the
forest sector mainly can
influence has increased from
280 ppm pre-industrial time
(1750) to 379 ppm 2005.
7. ï All humans everywhere
depend on ecosystem
products and services for
their well-being. But what
if the ecosystems are not
able to provide all these
products and services
because of
overexploitation? In bad
cases this can, for
example, lead to
starvation.
8. ï Worldwide amphibians and reptiles are
declining with habitat fragmentation
and destruction as the primary cause.
Riparian areas are important for the
herpetofauna, but as land is converted
to agriculture or harvested for timber
the areas are diminishing. The aim of
this study was to examine amphibian
and reptile abundance in relation to
distance from water and in relation to
habitat characteristics, foremost per
cent deciduous trees. The survey was
conducted during spring at six different
locations, with continuous forest along
streams or rivers, outside of Karlstad,
Sweden. Animals were searched along
four lines parallel to the water and each
study area was visited five times.
10. ï A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem
usually found around the equator.
They are common in
Asia, Australia, Africa, South
America, Central America, Mexico and
on many of the Pacific Islands. Within
the World Wildlife Fund's biome
classification, tropical rainforests are
considered a type of tropical wet forest
(or tropical moist broadleaf forest) and
may also be referred to as lowland
equatorial evergreen rainforest.
Minimum normal annual rainfall
between 1,750 millimetres (69 in) and
2,000 millimetres (79 in) occurs in this
climate region. Mean monthly
temperatures exceed 18 °C (64 °F)
during all months of the year.
11. ï The newly bare trees open up
the canopy layer, enabling
sunlight to reach ground level
and facilitate the growth of
thick underbrush. Trees on
moister sites and those with
access to ground water tend to
be evergreen. Infertile sites also
tend to support evergreen trees.
Deciduous trees predominate in
most of these forests, and
during the drought a leafless
period occurs, which varies with
species type.
12. ï This vegetation covers a large part
of southwestern North America
and southwestern Africa and
smaller areas in Africa, South
America, and Australia. In South
America, thorn forest is
sometimes called caatinga. Thorn
forest grades into savanna
woodland as the rainfall increases
and into desert as the climate
becomes drier .These are
dense, scrublike vegetation
characteristic of dry subtropical
and warm temperate areas with a
seasonal rainfall averaging 250 to
500 millimeters (about 10 to 20
inches).
13. ï Mangroves form a characteristic
saline woodland or shrubland
habitat, called mangrove swamp,
mangrove forest, mangrove or
mangal.
âŠ.. The saline conditions tolerated
by various species range from
brackish water, through pure
seawater (30 to 40 ppt), to water of
over twice the salinity of ocean
seawater
ï Mangroves are trees and shrubs that
grow in saline coastal habitats in the
tropics and subtropics â mainly
between latitudes 25° N and 25° S.
14. ï The temperate coniferous
forest includes areas such as
the Valdivian temperate rain
forests of southwestern South
America, the rain forests of
New Zealand and Tasmania,
northwest Europe (small
pockets in Ireland)
ï The Klamath-Siskiyou forests
of northwestern California
and southwestern Oregon is
known for its rich variety of
plant and animal species,
including many endemic
species.
15. ï§ Protecting and improving the natural habitat of the plants and animals.
ï§ Proper management of water resources in forests for animals.
ï§ Creating national parks and wildlife sanctuaries for safe breeding of the
endangered and other species. National parks are areas that are permanently
reserved for conservation of natural resources. For example, Kanha national
park known for tiger, leopards, etc.
ï§ Sanctuaries are areas where protection is given chiefly to animals. Locals are
allowed to come and collect fallen forest products like firewood.
ï§ Species which may become extinct should be bred in captivity at zoological
parks and released into the forests.
ï§ Social forestry which encourages polyculture (planting of different species) of
trees.
ï§ Grazing should be controlled in such a way that it does not affect the habitat of
the wildlife.
ï§ Strict laws to be enacted and enforced.
ï§ Public awareness to be create.